Outdoor Education

The Outdoor Education Program

Lakefield College School was founded on the premise that a student's educational experience should not only be academically fulfilling but extend far beyond the classroom. As a result, the school offers a formal outdoor education program that is considered unequaled by many.

A defining feature of the LCS experience is that outdoor education (OE) is embedded into the academic program. All Grade 9 students enjoy their geography and physical education courses integrated into a single outdoor education course. Similarly integrated, OE courses are offered in Grades 10 and 11 and nearly all students enrol.

Our natural campus setting and facilities provide an ideal environment in which OE students learn through building skills in:

flat- and white-water canoeing

high and low ropes training

rock climbing

no-trace overnight and winter camping

orienteering

Nordic skiing and snowshoeing

Outdoor education at LCS is based on “challenge by choice”Students remain within their comfort zone while pushing their limits and pursuing their potential. The program is designed to:

create an appreciation for the value of teamwork, community responsibility, self-reliance and individual leadership

utilize and enjoy the spectacular opportunities afforded by the campus and Kawartha Lakes area

Encouraging students to lead happy, healthy lives in natureStudies have shown that the benefits to youth of environmental education in an outdoor setting are significant. Positive physiological, psychological and cognitive benefits have been found, including increased personal development, emotional

well-being, and better performance in reading, mathematics, language and spelling.

Designed to inspire positive values, outdoor programs at LCS promote and inspire young people as leaders of a more sustainable future. Students will be healthy, happy and active individuals, inclined to adopt a more ecologically harmonious relationship with nature.

Outdoor Adventure

LCS also offers opportunities for students to participate in outdoor adventure expeditions that take place in a variety of settings ranging from nearby rivers, lakes and woods, to Algonquin Park, and through the expedition program, to the Northwest Territories and international destinations.

The expedition program is assessed on a yearly basis by students and faculty to help maintain the high standards set by the school and to keep the program current.

Supporters of the school who believe in the school's philosophy and commitment to outdoor education and outdoor adventure opportunities sponsor some of these expeditions.